Basketball fans are offering messages of support for Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo following a sad announcement.
The two-time league MVP announced on social media that he won’t be competing for Greece in the FIBA World Cup which begins on Aug. 25. The 28-year-old, still recovering from offseason knee surgery, stated that he did not get clearance to play in the upcoming tournament.
Basketball fans offered kind messages for Antetokounmpo following his announcement.
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Antetokounmpo competed for Greece at the 2014 and 2019 tournaments. The last tournament was won by Spain, who defeated Argentina in the finals. The United States, the defending champions, were stunned by France in the quarter-finals.
Antetokounmpo underwent knee surgery in July to address some pain he was feeling in his left knee. The Bucks still expect him to be ready for training camp.
Widely regarded as the best basketball player in the world, Antetokounmpo is coming off another superb season in which he averaged a career-high 31.1 points , 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest.
Milwaukee finished as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the third time in five years, and with the NBA’s best overall record at 58-24. However, they were upset by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the opening round in playoffs, losing in five games.
Giannis led the Bucks to the NBA Championship in 2021, but the organization has won just a single playoff series ever since. If he, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday can stay healthy, however, the Bucks will likely be the team to beat in 2023-24.
